Dolce Vita
by olivia919
Summary: AU. Mina is over men, but distracts herself with Katashi, unbeknownst to his and her friends. A little cliche, but not without a few bumps along the way.
1. Chapter 1

"Usagi-girl! We _have_ to go out dancing tonight! I bought the cutest outfit today with Rei! I've even convinced Ami to put the books down for one night!" Mina flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder as she pouted at Usagi. There was no special occasion; in fact, the only reason for her and Rei's shopping date was to serve as a distraction after one of Mina's overly dramatic public breakups. It was code to just let Mina ride out her emotions anyway she needed to, and to not interfere or pass judgment, especially since she was constantly subjected to their fairytale romances. Usagi sighed "Makoto did mention something about that…What happened with this guy to make you drop cash like it's no biggie?" "Ugh Usa I'll tell you and the girls later. I need a drink to numb my life and my soul."

At 26 years old, Mina did not expect herself to have her shit together yet, but she knew she was lying if she didn't say that there were aspects in her life she thought would be better. She knew she was gorgeous, and her job as a local magazine writer was more than enough to finance her endless wardrobe. But after seeing her friends slowly one by one meet the loves of their lives, she almost felt she was somewhat left behind, as she watched her friends that she grew up with, move on. After Usagi's wedding to Mamoru four years ago, Makoto was the next girl to settle with her fiancé, Nobuo, her handyman she had hired while she made repairs to her now very successful patisserie. Rei and her boyfriend of two years, had finally moved in together, much to the "dismay" of Rei, who pretended her rent was too high to maintain on her own, but much to the delight of Jun, who had been chasing Rei for the past five years after photographing her during her brief stint as a high fashion model (she very much preferred styling the sticks rather than being one). Finally, Satoshi asked Ami out on a date six months ago, after much hidden encouragement from all the girls. The intellectually challenged each other, and Mina was happy that Ami finally had someone who could talk nerdy to her. The guys were perfect for her girls, and she couldn't be happier, but sometimes it was hard, and those were the times she sought out a new boy to focus her attention on.

* * *

Mina beamed as she stared in her reflection at the club's bathroom. She was feeling herself tonight; her makeup and hair was on point, and her new outfit stole the show, with her tanned limbs and curled blonde hair peeking out of her gold halter dress. Time to find a new guy she thought to herself, as she reapplied her gloss. "Mina, I know you wanted a girls night, but Nobuo just messaged me, he and the boys are coming out to meet us, is that cool?" Makoto yelled over the loud music. With several drinks in her now, Mina had no care in the world and winked back "Yeah babe! I can't stop you girls from your fun tonight!" She tipped back the last of her vodka raspberry and left for the dancefloor, alcohol fuelling her every move.

If there was one thing she didn't love more, it was disco music. Chic blared from the speakers and Mina could not feel anymore confident as she locked eyes with Katashi. He was standing with the rest of the boys, his strong stance an indicator that pre-drinks at Mamoru's had yet to affect him. She turned her attention away from his gaze as a cute boy started dancing with her; any efforts spent on Katashi were lost anyway.

It took three songs before Mina decided she needed another drink. Excusing herself from the cute stranger, she made her way to the bar, bumping into Usagi in the process. "You still didn't tell me what happened with that guy." Mina turned to her, an unreadable expression on her face. "He had a girlfriend, Usagi. I mean, the feelings between us weren't strong anyway, but _he had a girlfriend_. I thought I held enough drama for five people, I didn't think I needed any more." Usagi ordered two drinks and led her to where the girls and boys were sitting. "You're with us tonight, not that dirt bag, and that's all that matters now. I had Ami request some Blondie for you so you can dance the guilt away!" Mina giggled and pulled her friend close "Love ya Usa."

* * *

Katoshi observed the exchange between the two blonde girls, noticing the initial tension at the bar. He had been well aware of Mina's mannerisms, and judging from Ami, Rei and Makoto's hushed conversation, he assumed it was most likely regarding a boy. As a high profile architect, his time was precious, with no time for love or anything frivolous, a fact that Mina understood quite well. While Mina dated and fooled around with boys in the hope she might meet _the one_ , she was in fact only intimate with Katashi, a man who never tried to chat her up, or buy her love through gifts. And while she didn't harbor any feelings for Katashi, she knew he was trustworthy and would entertain her need for distractions without judgment, and more importantly, _without telling anyone_. "So Katashi, how's my friend Art Vandalay going at the firm?" that one coded sentence dictated exactly how their night would end, and with that, he gave a small smile, secretly glad that he and Mina were the only people in the group who preferred _Seinfeld_ over _Friends_. "He's well."

* * *

A.N.

This is my very first fanfic so be kind if you do review! I've always seen Mina as the girl with all the troubles, but I'm a romantic at heart and my head is always in fantasy so I'm basically just writing out my own fantasies and life experiences on paper. I have no idea where this will go, but I'm keen to find out. Rather than spending time writing out the boy's life stories (obviously more on Kunzite later though), I thought I would do a quick summary here:

Katashi = Kunzite, 31

Jun = Jadeite, 28

Satoshi = Zoisite, 27

Nobuo = Nephrite, 30

(The girls are all 26)


	2. Chapter 2

Light filtered in through the balcony doors of Katashi's apartment, waking Mina. She found herself in Katashi's arms and turned to his sleeping face, watching him peacefully slumber before slowly making her way into his shower. She let the hot water rain down on her back, relishing in the relief it gave to her sore body from the night before. It wasn't long before she was joined by him, his arms wrapping around her waist, wanting to continue their activities from the night before. This was the only time he ever showed her a side she knew no one else saw, and she relished in the fact that she had at least that much power over him. She giggled, "As much as I don't want to stop, I am meeting up with Rei and Jun this morning and I don't think they would appreciate seeing me in last night's clothes." He stopped immediately, his face void of any emotion. Mina recognised his mask, and knew their time together was over. She stepped out of the shower and quickly dressed herself, "I'll message you later this week. See you soon."

* * *

"So JunJun, has Rei tried to kill you yet? Have you hidden your porno mags well? I would hate to see her find out you have a thing for busty redheads." Rei glared at her, and Jun deadpanned "Didn't Rei tell you? She owns a red wig. I make her wear it every night, in exchange for me doing all the chores." Jun and Mina had always been close since he and Rei started dating and she was always the first person he turned to whenever he was an idiot to Rei. "You two both need to stop. I swear you two are siblings." Mina smiled, "If that's the case, I vote that I was the adopted one! Might explain my mother's lack of maternal instinct." With a wink Jun replied "It's probably because she ended up with you for a daughter!" This time Rei glared at Jun, and he took that as a hint to give the two girls space. "Is she still bad Mina?" "If you call 'reminding your daughter on a weekly basis how much of a failure she is' bad, then yeah. I mean, I'm used to it now anyway so it doesn't bother me, but I sure can't wait for the day I can rub some kind of success in her face." The two girls sat in silence, before Jun returned from his kitchen, three beers in his hand. "I think you girls need a drink!"

The trio spent the day relaxing and drinking, with Rei eventually excusing herself to spend the remainder of her Sunday afternoon with her grandfather. "Don't you two go falling in love while I'm out!" Mina laughed "That must be the first joke she's cracked all day! What a keeper!" Jun blushed and suddenly went quiet. "Mina, I need your advice on something, well, kind of big." Her eyes widened. She knew _exactly_ what big was. "Oh. My. God. When." He stood up abruptly, and went to his bedroom, before returning with a small box. "I know we have only just moved in, and I was thinking of waiting until after Makoto and Nobuo got married, but I met with her grandfather last week and he's given me his blessing." He opened the box and passed it to Mina, his palms sweating. She stared at the ruby red stone, surrounded by small sparkling diamonds. A sudden pang of jealousy hit her, and the realisation that again, she was still single and alone returned. Any negative feelings were briefly pushed away, as she turned and beamed at a very pale Jun. "She'll love it."

* * *

"So Nobuo, one week left until you're a married man. I can finally start my secret husband club" Mamoru joked. The boys (minus Jun) were lounging at Mamoru and Usagi's apartment, beers in hand as Usagi, the ever doting wife, handed them bowls of her favourite snacks. Satoshi laughed "Mamoru, Nobuo is _only_ marrying Makoto just so he can join your club!" "And Satoshi, you're next!" Nobuo joked. "I think we all know that Jun will be next, unless Rei kills him first. Speaking of the little devil, where is he?" Katashi, blurted out "I believe Mina's with him and Rei." Katashi internally swore, praying none of the boys would pick up on his error. They didn't, fortunately for him, and Nobuo was the next to speak. "He obviously has never heard the phrase 'bros before hoes'. Actually, speaking of Mina, is she ok? She seemed distant last night." "She's fine. I think it was just boy drama. Usagi doesn't want to say it out loud, but Mina has bad taste. It sure would be nice if she met a decent guy for once." Mamoru eyed Katashi, who quickly avoided his gaze. While he was somewhat aware of Mina's private life through what he heard from Usagi and Mamoru, he tended to distance himself from any information about the gorgeous blonde. He no doubt enjoyed Mina's company when she spent nights with him, but she was only a friend, at best. But the two of them were complete polar opposites, and he knew that her free spirit could never fit into his dull life.

* * *

Several days later, Mina decided she needed an overhaul over her love life; starting first with working on herself. While shopping for yet another new outfit ('New look, new me,' she thought), she stumbled upon a quaint café where tarot card readings were being performed. Always a believer in fate, she was hopeful that this was the sign she needed, and stepped inside, expecting to hear only exciting things for her future. She was greeted by a man slightly taller than her, with hair a colour that instantly reminded her of Katashi. "Good afternoon, Miss. My name is Kaitou. I believe you're here for a reading, am I correct?" She blushed, he was without a doubt one of the most beautiful man she had ever seen. She nodded, her eyes never leaving his. He led her to a small side room, pouring her a black tea, and she sat opposite him. "Let us begin. I will lay out six cards and you will pick the card you are most drawn to, and I will repeat the process until you have selected three cards." She watched as he shuffled the deck, and she hesitantly reached out for her first card, without turning it over. Once Mina had chosen three cards, she finally turned them over, revealing _The Lovers_ , _The Devil_ and _Death_. She swallowed hard, slowly moving her gaze towards Kaitou. She watched him as he paled, before he finally spoke. "Miss, I'm afraid my interpretation of these three cards offers you nothing positive. I'm sorry, but _your love is doomed for all eternity_."

* * *

A.N.

Thank you for those who reviewed! I'm trying to tie in parts from the manga, hence why Ace made an appearance, but still very much unsure how the story is going to follow so bear with me!


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